Beauty

High tech: The latest advances in face masks and skin treatments

Remember the mayonnaise-mask craze from the '70s? At-home masks have come a long way from those wacky DIY versions. Not only is the new crop of treatments more potent than its predecessors—thanks to refined formulations and active ingredients—but they're also less messy and easier to use. Enter the new(ish) kids on the block: sheet and sleep masks, from the skin care–obsessed South Koreans.

The sheet mask—a one-use serum-soaked, individually packed fabric mask made of cotton or silk cellulose—has been a skin-care fixture in Asia for more than a decade. The cloth helps hold nourishing ingredients, requires no rinsing postapplication and delivers radiant, hydrated skin in only 10 minutes. "It's become so popular in Canada because it's an affordable, effective, quick skin treatment," says Katrine Gouron, brand communications manager at The Face Shop Canada, a South Korea–based skin-care and cosmetics manufacturer and retailer with locations across Canada. The Face Shop Canada offers 41 types of sheet masks, ranging from $2 to $12.

Not to be confused with satin eye covers for transatlantic flights, sleep, or "sleepover," masks are made of gel and cream, and they work with your skin's natural night rhythm. "Gone are the days of grandma's beauty routines, where you'd give your hair 100 brushstrokes and put on your cold cream and towel turban," says Katie Rattray, international trainer for Éminence Organics. Sleep masks take no longer to apply than night cream. As you snooze, your skin drinks in a potent cocktail of skin-plumping hyaluronic acid and complexion-firming peptides. By morning, you'll look fresh, hydrated and glowing.

So is it time to toss your traditional cream or gel mask? Of course not. Those tried-and-true formulas can be just as effective—provided you actually use them. "You can never mask enough," says Rattray.

Clean slate: There's no point in giving skin a jubo dose of nourishment if it can't soak in all that goodness. "Cell turnover is about 28 to 45 days, and it slows as we age," says Katie Rattray, international trainer for Éminence Organics. That means exfoliating and cleansing before masking to clear away skin cells and dirt.

Spot-treat: Nourishing masks needn't be reserved for your face, says Anna Vouyioukas, esthetician at Miraj Hammam Spa by Caudalie at Toronto's Shangri-La Hotel. She recommends using a mask on elbows, feet and any dry patches.

Cool it: Chilling treatments such as foot and undereye masks can enhance their efficacy and the experience. "We suggest placing treatments in the fridge an hour prior to use," says Katrin Gouron, brand communications manager for The Face Shop Canada.

Neck of time: Your neck and décolletage should get as much time with moisturizers, serums and masks as your face. "Don't neglect those zones," says Kyla Garritano, owner of Caryl Baker Visage Yorkville in Toronto. "They're aging at the same rate as your lips and eye area."